A downtown business breakfast meeting fostered discussion Tuesday among Hardeeville residents and leaders who expressed ideas for positive change and improvement, such as bringing in sit-down restaurants and cleaning up the city.

Chris Damgen, Hardeeville’s downtown development manager, organized the meeting sponsored by the city and the Greater Hardeeville Chamber of Commerce at City Hall. He spoke about upcoming events and implored the audience to voice its concerns.

The addition of more sit-down restaurants was brought up by Tom Johnson, a Hardeeville lawyer and Jasper County councilman, as a way to increase the city’s economic activity.

“I think if we had some more restaurants downtown or a greater variety, then people would be able to meet downtown for business meetings and things like that,” Johnson said. “It’s ironic that 20 years ago we had more of certain things than we do now. At one time you didn’t have to go to the same sit-down restaurant for two days in a row if you didn’t want to.”

Damgen said the problem has more to do with drawing well-known chain restaurants to the city, especially off Interstate 95 where they would get more exposure.

“Our biggest issue is really a multifaceted problem,” Damgen said. “Chain restaurants will want to construct rather than move into existing buildings. … We’ve had an exit here for 30 years we have a lot of existing structures.

“The other issue is a lack of natural gas. There are good, sit-down restaurants in Hardeeville, though. But as far as American cuisines, we don’t have any and we don’t have any nationally recognized chains that a lot of travelers look for when they’re coming off the interstate.”

One advantage Hardeeville has over other parts of Jasper County, such as Ridgeland, is restaurants are permitted to sell alcohol in Hardeeville on Sundays.

“When I served on the council before,” said Barbara Clarke, a member of Jasper County Council, “we lost about five chain restaurants. When they found out we were a dry county, they backed out.”

Hardeeville City Council member Sal Arzillo said the city has allowed restaurants to serve alcohol on Sundays since 2008.

“If Applebee’s doesn’t want to go to Ridgeland,” Arzillo said, “tell them to come to Hardeeville.”

Other concerns Tuesday involved Hardeeville’s appearance and how it could negatively impacts visitors’ perceptions of the city.

Damgen asked Gina Scott, a realtor with Keller Williams and owner of Coastal Florist, about some of the issues she faces when attempting to sell Hardeeville to potential homeowners.

“A large part is the appearance,” Scott said. “You can’t sell a house if there are two vacancies on either side. The grass is through the roof. God has blessed me with a special talent for selling Jasper County over the years, and I can sell it because of other attributes we have to offer people that they can’t find anywhere else.

But it’s difficult when people drive down Main Street and all the signs are crooked and there’s only one street light. … We should aspire to look, not like Ridgeland, but look as good as they look. It’s a process, but we can do it.”

Arzillo said vacant houses are another issue.

“Some are in bank foreclosure and that’s a big problem we’ve got downtown,” he said. “It’s an everyday process — we haven’t abandoned the idea by any means. We’re working on it every day. There have been a lot of accomplishments so far, there are a lot of things to be done but we’re working on it.”